The United States Marine Corps has launched an investigation after a video that appeared to show two soldiers in blackface went viral. The video was initially posted on Snapchat and then shared on Twitter where it went viral.
In the video, the two men are seen wearing black masks that have holes cut out around their eyes, noses, and mouths. One of the men can be heard saying "blackface" and using a derogatory term that refers to African Americans.
Zach Highfield, the soldier who originally shared the video on Snapchat, told KPBS that they were wearing charcoal masks meant to cleanse their pores and that they did not intend to offend anybody.
“It looks a lot worse than it is,” Highfield said. “It was a bad mistake. We had no intention to offend.”
A spokesman with the Third Marine Aircraft Wing, which is based at Miramar Air Station in San Diego, California, said that they are taking the soldiers' actions seriously.
"Our leaders are committed to maintaining an environment of professionalism, dignity, and respect," Major Josef Patterson said. "3rd MAW takes all allegations of discriminatory behavior very seriously as they stand in stark contrast of our core values of honor, courage, and commitment and do not reflect the discipline and professionalism of the Marines and sailors of 3rd MAW."